"Back Where You Started" by Tina Turner

Tina Turner has been churning out chart hits since the 1960s as part of the husband-wife duo, Ike & Tina Turner. After they split in 1976, Tina Turner continued to perform and slowly put pieces into place for one of the biggest comebacks in pop music history.

The comeback arrived in 1984. Her cover of Al Green's #1 hit from 1971, "Let's Stay Together," reached #26 in 1984, nearly a decade since her last chart appearance with Ike. But what really launched her comeback was the next single, "What's Love Got To Do With It," which spent three weeks at #1 and won all kinds of awards.

Turner was on fire for the remainder of the decade, nearly hitting the top spot twice more with "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" and "Typical Male." She scored more hits teaming up with other famed songwriters and performers like Holly Knight (of Spider and Device), Bryan Adams (who wrote and sang with Tina on "It's Only Love" (#15) and wrote her #97 song from 1993, "Why Must We Wait Until Tonight?"), and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits (who wrote the #7 title track to her comeback album, "Private Dancer").

While Turner is largely known for her soft pop, she always put a rocker or two on her releases. "Back Where You Started," another one written by Bryan Adams, is one of best rock songs of 1986. It comes from the album "Break Every Rule" and won a Grammy for Rock Female Vocal, yet remains largely unknown.

"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" by Sting

After his tenure with The Police, Gordon Sumner (better known simply as Sting) launched a solo career that continued decorating the charts with his songs. His first arrived in 1985 with "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," a timely tune for someone who just exited their band. The song became Sting's biggest hit as a solo artist, reaching #3. He would see the top spot in 1994 as part of a superstar trio. With the help of Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, Sting reached #1 for three weeks with "All For Love" from The Three Musketeers.

In-between those hits, Sting racked up an impressive number of other Top 40 entries including "Fortress Around Your Heart" (#8), "We'll Be Together" (#7), "All This Time" (#5), and "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" (#17), which won him a Grammy for Pop Male Vocal.

Heading into the new millennium, Sting scored a Top 20 hit for the third decade in a row when "Desert Rose" reached #17. He then disappeared from the charts until 2006 when a duet with Sheryl Crow, "Always On Your Side," peaked at #33. To date, he has not returned.

"I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying" is a hugely underrated song that actually appeared on the lower end of the Top 100 twice. Its original entry went to #94 in 1996, but it resurfaced as a tweaked duet with country star Toby Keith in 1997, making it to #84.

"Beautiful Morning" by Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart is one of the biggest stars of the rock era. Both as a solo artist and a member of Faces, he's racked up such an impressive string of hits that he is ranked the 16th most successful chart artist of all-time. Across three decades, he's managed to rank in the top 30: he ranked #22 in the 70s, #23 in the 80s, and #16 in the 90s. He became a Grammy Legend Award winner in 1989 and was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1994.

Stewart started his chart run back in 1971 with the monster hit "Maggie May," which spent five weeks at #1. He'd return to the #1 for eight weeks in 1976 with "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)", four weeks in 1979 with "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?", and one last time for three weeks in 1994 with "All For Love." "All For Love" was featured in the movie The Three Musketeers, so it was appropriate to sing this song with two other superstars: Bryan Adams and Sting.

Stewart's final appearance on the Top 100 was in 1998 when "Ooh La La" reached #39. This tune was first recorded with Faces back in 1973, kind of bringing things full circle. Stewart then crooned his way through the American Songbook series, which sold him tons more records despite a lack of chart entries.

Stewart eventually returned to rock and pop, and it is a shame there isn't room on the Top 100 for his songs. "Beautiful Morning," from his 2013 record "Time," seems just as much of a contender as his classics.

"Keep This Heart In Mind" by Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt has been a mainstay on the charts across three decades, beginning in 1977 when her cover of Del Shannon's "Runaway," which featured Michael McDonald on backing vocals, landed at #57. Another duet, 1995's "Rock Steady" with Bryan Adams, became her final chart appearance.

In the intervening years, Raitt scored numerous hits, her biggest being "Something To Talk About," which went to #5 in 1991. Others include "I Can't Make You Love Me" (#18) and "Love Sneakin' Up On You" (#19). Her popular song from 1989, a cover of John Hiatt's "Thing Called Love," which Hiatt sings on, surprisingly did not crack the Top 100. Her successes led to her induction in the R&R Hall of Fame in 2000.

There's plenty of other good stuff in Raitt's catalogue to enjoy. Her 1982 effort, "Green Light," kicks off with this pleasant number called "Keep This Heart In Mind."

"Hidin' From Love" by Lisa Hartman

Most people remember Lisa Hartman from her days as an actress on the show Knots Landing and perhaps from a long string of B-movies. But she also had a singing career that produced five albums between 1976 and 1987. Hartman played two different singers on Knots Landing, but she was not acting when it came to her vocal chops. Songs on her records span rock, pop, ballads, and a bit of country.

Her final record in 1987, "'Til My Heart Stops," is among her most popular, thanks to the excellent song "The Dress." However, her 1982 album, "Letterock" is perhaps her strongest and most consistent effort. Her version of the Bryan Adams song "Hidin' From Love" kicks this record off, and makes you wonder why Hartman wasn't competing with Pat Benatar on the battlefield for chart positions.

In 1991, she married country superstar Clint Black and pretty much stopped making records. 

"Suffer In Silence" by Glass Tiger

Glass Tiger roared onto the music charts in 1986 with their monster hit, "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)." The song bolted to #2 and was followed up by another hit ballad, "Someday," which reached #7. A third single was mined from the album, the excellent "I Will Be There," which got to #34. Fellow Canadian rocker Bryan Adams lent his chops on a few of the tracks from the successful debut LP, "The Thin Red Line."

The band's 1988 follow-up, "Diamond Sun," did not match the success of "Thin Red Line," but did spawn one charting single, "I'm Still Searching," which reached #31. The band released a third album in 1990 called "Simple Mission" that was more guitar-driven and rock oriented. Great record, but it failed to perform in the US.

"Suffer In Silence" is a contemplative ballad that comes from the sophomore record "Diamond Sun." I have a weakness for melancholy down-on-my-luck songs, and this one is terrific.

“Into The Fire” by Bryan Adams

Bryan Adams is no stranger to the music charts. He made his first appearance on the Billboard charts in 1982 with “Lonely Nights” reaching #84, and his second appearance with the top 10 classic, “Straight From The Heart”. His trademark rasp and brand of no-nonsense melodic rock made him one of the biggest artists in the 80s. However, some critics argue that he hit a speed bump with his 5^th album, “Into The Fire”.

“Into The Fire” was released in 1986 and reached #7 on the Billboard album chart.

It is hard to follow-up a mega success. His previous effort was the monster album, “Reckless”, which spent 2 weeks at #1 and went on to sell over 5 million copies in the US and over 12 million worldwide.

Adams admits he was at a crossroads after the phenomenal success of “Reckless”, and these feelings provided the inspiration behind the album’s terrific title track.

“Into The Fire” is my favorite cut off this darker, moodier album. Adams was going for more lyrical depth on this record and wrestled with social and political issues in his songs. Many of the songs plod along and clock in over 5 minutes. In other words, not the type of album that made Bryan Adams a household name, and certainly not the type of record radio and fans expected from him.

An artist always takes a risk when he/she tries something different, and that should be respected. But many consider this album to be a failure as it yielded only one top 10 hit (“Heat Of The Night”), and two other songs that barely made the top 40. It still sold over a million copies in the US alone, but that pales in comparison to what “Reckless” had achieved.

No worries for Bryan Adams, though. He went right back to the party rock anthems and grandiose power ballads to come back in a big way with the smash, “Waking Up The Neighbours” in 1991.